Key facts
- Lebanon denied agreeing to a shortlist of countries for verifying Hezbollah's disarmament.
- Britain, Italy, Switzerland, and Indonesia were reportedly on the shortlist.
- The U.S. is mediating discussions between Lebanon and Israel on the matter.
- A June deal links Israeli withdrawal to the disarmament of non-state armed groups by Lebanon.
- Hezbollah has rejected disarming.
A Lebanese official denied reports that Beirut had agreed with Israel on a shortlist of countries that could verify the disarmament of Hezbollah. The denial contradicts earlier reports citing Britain, Italy, Switzerland, and Indonesia as potential contributors to such a mechanism, which emerged from U.S.-mediated talks. Lebanon stated it is still in discussions with the United States on the issue. A U.S. State Department official confirmed that recent meetings in Rome discussed third-party verification of the Lebanese army's clearance operations but did not mention specific countries. The context of these discussions is a June deal linking Israel's phased withdrawal from southern Lebanon to the disarmament of non-state armed groups, a condition Hezbollah rejects. Israel occupies a 10-kilometer security zone and insists on Hezbollah's disarmament before withdrawing.